30th Annual Student Research Conference
Understanding the Interactions of the Ribosome with the Anti-Cancer Drug Cisplatin
John D. Bickel* and Branden W. Lawson
Dr. Bill R. Miller, Faculty Mentor
Cisplatin is one of the world’s leading anti-cancer drugs that’s used to treat a wide variety of cancers. Recent investigations into the mechanism of Cisplatin in causing apoptosis in cancer cells have pointed toward its interactions with both the RNA and the DNA of a cell, rather than only its DNA as was once previously thought. Recently published ribosomal structures present an opportunity to computationally model the interactions of Cisplatin with ribosomal RNA using Molecular Dynamics (MD), which uses computational methods to simulate and calculate Newtonian interactions at the molecular level. Using MD, the interactions of Cisplatin with RNA are simulated to determine and quantify key characteristics within the system. These characteristics are key when determining drug pathways and complementary drug programs to create a more effective cancer treatment plan.
Keywords: cisplatin, computational biochemistry, chemistry, molecular dynamics, rna
Topic(s):Chemistry
Biology
Computer Science
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 203-1
Location: MG 1096
Time: 9:30